Top 5 Activities in Big Bear Lake

Although best-known for its powerhouse Bear Mountain Ski Resort, Big Bear Lake in California’s San Bernardino County has much more to offer than meets the eye. Packed with recreational opportunities well worth your time, together with eateries, sweeping views of the region, retail venues, and family-friendly attractions around virtually every corner, Big Bear Lake proves a traveler’s dream. Discover the top five things to do in Big Bear Lake, to transform your next west coast outing into an unforgettable California endeavor!

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Snow Summit Ski Resort

 

Of course, no visit to Big Bear Lake is complete without a trip down one of its iconic ski trails. If you’re lucky enough to visit during the wintertime, strap on your skis or your snowboard, and take advantage of the wide range of trails at the Snow Summit Ski Resort. Optimized for skiers and snowboarders of every skill level, the green, blue, and black runs offer dynamic, customized runs that provide easy memories in the making.

And if you visit in the summer, rest assured that the Snow Summit Ski Resort has your recreational needs covered. Since 1952, this hospitality destination has offered year-round solutions for outdoor recreation. Take a ski lift up the mountain during the summer months, and trek down the mountain on any of their downhill bike paths, at a pace comfortable for your own enjoyment. Just like the winter ski runs, the summer bike paths are offered in beginner, intermediate, and advanced varieties, so you’re all but guaranteed to find a bike path best suitable for your individual preferences! There’s also a zip line, climbing wall, and trampoline well worth your time.

Big Bear Lake

 

Get outside and experience everything that the Big Bear Lake region has to offer, at the lake itself! Bring the entire family along, take the journey with friends, or venture there by yourself, and familiarize yourself with the flora and fauna nearby. Blue waters are begging for a swim during seasonally warm months, and the lake is stocked with fish year-round! Find yourself enjoying sunbathed spaces on the premises, or find shade during a particularly warm day.

Easily identifiable by its unique rock formations and the surrounding mountains, Big Bear Lake itself is a dream destination, offering easy recreation on the water, and on the surrounding pathways. Take a stroll at a leisurely pace around the water’s edge, go birdwatching, circumvent the lake on your bike, or simply drink in the crisp mountain air, around one of California’s largely unsung bodies of water.

Big Bear Alpine Zoo

Now, it’s easier than ever to glimpse rare animal species in Big Bear Lake, without ever leaving the city itself. As if the rich diversity of species in the town itself isn’t enough, the Big Bear Alpine Zoo offers even wider access to local and international wildlife. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn more about both local and international species, an educational experience that you can enjoy alone, or with a large group.

The Big Bear Alpine Zoo is more than an opportunity for locals and visitors to visit with badgers, foxes, Bald Eagles, owls, and more. It’s also a rehabilitation facility, for those species injured or otherwise threatened by the outside world. The rehabilitation team seeks to successfully reinstate species into the wilderness, or otherwise extend the lifespan, within a protected environment. Come witness these animals, and support rehabilitation endeavors, for animals like the Arctic Fox and the Flying Squirrel.

Boulder Bay Park

One of the premier public parks in the Big Bear Lake region, at Boulder Bay Park the entire family can enjoy a day of easy, outdoor recreation. Take the canoe or the kayak out onto calm lake waters, to glimpse both the park and the surrounding natural wildlife from rare, unrivaled angles. And make sure that you find time to frequent the park whenever it has scheduled live entertainment!

Even when local music isn’t providing the perfect background for park enjoyment, Boulder Bay Park offers much to even the casual visitor. Venture out onto the docks, to get up close and personal with refreshing blue lake waters. Whether the park itself is all but covered in snow, or typified by seasonally warm summer temperatures, it’s the perfect setting for an outdoor day of fun with those you love. Put your car in the park lot, or on adjacent streets, and head out into Boulder Bay Park for a day outside you won’t want to forget.

The Bowling Barn

Featuring 16 lanes and a state-of-the-art scoring system, you are assured a quality experience over at The Bowling Barn. Participate in a match of bowling that will test your fine control and technique as you attempt to out-score each other. 

With facilities for the whole family, no one will be left unoccupied at this top-end entertainment hub. Keeping themselves stocked with the very best and latest, the video games arcade will certainly keep your child captivated, letting you hop over to the Alley Oops Sports bar offering up the best deals in town for a drink or two. Your hunger pangs will be easily assuaged with the on-site snack bar, delivering sugary treats that will fuel your pin-destruction frenzy as you go about your bowling rounds. If you crave for something more substantial, The Bowling Barn is just minutes away from The Big Bear Lake Village, making meal trips a short hop away before you return for another round.

Recreation and Excitement for All Ages in Big Bear Lake

Whether you’re sharing nachos or wings at the Big Bear Funplex, drifting across calm Big Bear Lake waters, or swishing down snow-capped mountains at the Snow Summit Ski Resort, there’s more than enough excitement at Big Bear Lake to captivate visitors of all ages. Get outside and enjoy clear skies and easy living, while you take life at a pace conducive for your own enjoyment. Upgrade your understanding of mountain excellence at Big Bear Lake, in San Bernardino.

Also, check out winter activities in Big Bear and Hiking in Big Bear!